


as the sun will rise

by miss_xip, youdidwinsodidi



Category: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Genre: Beauty and the Beast Elements, Couch Cuddles, Domestic Fluff, Feels, Feels Coaster, Fluff, Forehead Kisses, Kisses, M/M, Morning Kisses, Sleepy Cuddles, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2020-02-07 03:46:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18612475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_xip/pseuds/miss_xip, https://archiveofourown.org/users/youdidwinsodidi/pseuds/youdidwinsodidi
Summary: A love story as old as time.





	as the sun will rise

“Kuro-samaaaa!” Fai exclaims, drooping his body over Kurogane’s shoulders. “There’s this new movie out we just _have_ to watch.”

Kurogane grunts. “Why? It’s practically midnight. Shouldn’t we both be in bed?”

Fai frowns at him. “Kuro-cutie, you’re no fun!”

Kurogane knits his eyebrows together as he pushes Fai away from him. There were a lot of playful insults that he would accept, but not being fun wasn’t one of them.

“Fine,” he huffs. _Challenge accepted._ He then crosses his arms in front of his chest. “What idiotic movie is it anyway? This better not be like _Titanic_ two days ago or you’re sleeping on the couch tonight.”

They had watched a movie almost every night for the past two weeks. After arriving in this very technologically advanced world, they decided that they would stay here for a while in order to rest. After what had happened to them in Nirai Kanai, Kurogane had insisted to do so. Fai had been hurt, Syaoran was visibly upset and Kurogane just wanted a peaceful moment with his family.

“Ugh, Kuro-sama!” Fai pouts, pushing Kurogane’s body towards the living room. “Why don’t you trust me?”

With a deadpan expression, Kurogane grunts, “Why should I? You trusted me with nothing until I practically yanked it out of you.”

Fai simply laughs, ignoring the comment. “You’ll like this movie, trust me.”

“Sure, whatever,” he says, rolling his eyes.

Grinning, Fai takes the remote in his hands and moves to pull up the movie. “Don’t worry, Kuro-chan, the main male lead is just like you.”

“Hn,” Kurogane grins in response. It hadn’t been the first time that Fai had called him handsome and he sure as hell wouldn’t protest against something like that. He doesn’t notice the way Fai slyly picks up on Kurogane’s expression, nor does he notice how Fai quietly laughs to himself _._

“You’re not going to ask me what movie we are watching?” Fai asks as he browses the Netflix application to find the movie.

“Why should I? You’ll probably lie and say we’re going to watch something I’m remotely interested in, like last time.”

“It’s not my fault you’re only interested in anime, Kuro-rin.”

“Hey, say what you want, but action anime has gotten a lot more bitchin’ over the years.”

Fai drops the remote as he turns around to look at Kurogane, moving to lightly rest a hand on top of his shoulder.

“Kuro-sama,” he starts, trying to keep a serious face. “Please, don’t ever use the word _bitchin_ ’ ever again or I’ll tell Syaoran that Kuro-daddy has been saying ugly things.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

Fai’s light laughter fills the room in response, his head shaking lightly as he retracts his hand from Kurogane’s shoulder in order to retrieve the remote.

“Alright, Kuro-chii, are you ready?”

Kurogane sighs as he puts his feet up on the coffee table, “As I’ll ever be.”

Fai settles in next to Kurogane, his body practically melting against the ninja, feet curled underneath his legs. “Here we go, then.”

The scene opens to a young man, presumably royalty, being pampered with clothing choices and wigs by maids. As they finish with his-- Fai has to laugh, is that _make-up_?-- the prince stands. Before him, the guests all dance, and the prince smiles out at them. He obviously loves women.

Good thing his Kuro-puu isn’t that much alike to that guy despite the similarity in appearance. He may like women too, but he doesn’t show it. At least, Fai doesn’t know. So many things about Kuro-sama are confusing. He throws a quick look at Kurogane, who is quiet as ever.

Somewhere in his time thinking about Kuro-min, the prince meets an old woman, who begs him for shelter. He denies her, and Fai can’t help but smile.

This is the fun part.

The old woman transforms into a beautiful enchantress when the prince not only denies her, but publicly humiliates her.

The enchantress stands tall, glaring down at the prince. “You… You arrogant, self-indulgent, poor excuse for a royal! You must learn what it means to truly love someone.” She grins, lifting the rose high. “Due to your egoistic tendencies, I am going to take away that handsomeness of yours. You, and the people of your kingdom, are now cursed!” She caresses a rose petal, plucking one off. “Until you learn how to love someone with all of your heart and all of your soul, and they you in return, you will be nothing more than a _beast_. If you fail to find love before the last petal falls, you and this entire kingdom will remain cursed forever.”

The picture brightens before the cameras pan out to the crumbling castle and the ruined town around it.

“Beauty and the Beast,” Kurogane reads off of the screen, before groaning. “Seriously? A damn _fairytale_?”

“Give it a chance, Kuro-pon!” Fai exclaims, resting his head against Kurogane’s shoulder.

He grunts noncommittally, not minding this newest development as he glances at Fai, who is too engrossed with the movie to even notice Kurogane’s fake exasperation. If Fai truly wanted to sit through two hours of singing and cliches, who was he to stop him? Kurogane sighs inwardly; he wouldn’t lose this challenge.

Once Gaston appears on the screen, Fai blinks up at Kurogane. “Snacks? I’m kind of hungry.”

The ninja glances at him. “Bring me some sake, too.”

Fai rolls his eyes, his body slowly slinking away. “Fine, fine.”

Kurogane absentmindedly continues to watch the movie because _what else is he supposed to do_ , but his real focus is on the sounds Fai is making in the kitchen. How long was he going to take?

“Do you want me to pause it?” Kurogane lazily asks eventually, his hand reaching for the remote.

“No! I’ll just get some cookie dough and the sake. Then I’ll be back.”

“I swear you’re going to turn into a cookie one day,” Kurogane mumbles under his breath as he drops the remote back onto the couch. “Bloody sugar addict.”

“Did you say something?” Fai asks as he eventually returns with the cookie dough in one hand and the sake in the other. He quickly settles back down into his previous spot, handing the bottle of sake to Kurogane and placing their glasses on the coffee table.

“...you’re not going to pour it?” Kurogane asks.

Fai scoffs, feigning offense. “I went and _got_ the sake, you want me to pour it, too?”

Kurogane rolls his eyes, sitting forward. “Fine, I’ll do it.”

Fai watches his ninja’s movements as the movie carries on, Belle arriving in the castle perimeters. “Whaaat!” Fai screeches, “Already?!” He asks. “But I missed all of the beginning~”

“You’re the one who didn’t want me to pause it!” Kurogane chastises him, and in the midst of his attention being caught elsewhere, Kurogane accidentally overfills the glass. He jumps back with a curse. “Goddammit!”

“I’ve told you before, Kuro-rin, you drink too much alcohol.” Fai shakes his head playfully as he too sits forward. “Careful now.”

Fai reaches over and just before he can lift the glass, Kurogane catches his hand.

“No,” the ninja says sternly. “Not like last time. I won’t let you drink from it. Fill your own glass, weirdo.”

“So mean,” Fai whines but proceeds to fill his own glass. It doesn’t take long before Fai finds his way to his cookie dough ice cream; and it doesn’t take much longer before Fai is holding a spoonful in front of Kurogane’s face.

“Want some?”

“No,” Kurogane sighs. “Keep your germs to yourself.”

“I don’t have germs, Kuro-kyon,” Fai tells him, letting his body rest into Kurogane’s side. A soft vanilla smell finds its way towards Kurogane’s senses.

“Yeah,” he eventually replies, not making any effort to push Fai away. “You don’t.”

Fai smiles, letting the silence fall over them.

It was so quiet, in fact, when the beast appeared and roared loudly at Belle, Fai jumps. Kurogane’s reflexes are fast, and perhaps it was due to the loss of the warmth, but his hand latches onto Fai’s arm, dragging him back towards Kurogane’s side. The ninja watches as the beast had not yet left the screen and took notice of Fai’s small grin.

“What?”

“Look, Kuro-rin, it’s you!” Fai points at the beast and then turns to give Kurogane an idiotic smile. Kurogane isn’t having any of it though because he gives Fai’s shoulder a hard shove, pushing him away, causing Fai to collapse into the couch.

“Shut up, _mage!”_

Fai makes a show of gasping as he pushes himself upright. “Kuro-sama hasn’t called me that outside of public in _months_! How scandalous!”

Kurogane sighs, rolls his eyes and begins to prepare for a comeback as his crimson eyes meet Fai blue one’s. A small fire of fear was starting to burn inside those blue universes. Kurogane is sure he can feel someone stabbing his heart as he takes in the sight because he _knew._ Fai was scared that Kurogane would push him away.

“Fai,” he breathes out, correcting the name, as he latches out an arm to encircle the other with it, dragging him closer to him and holding him close at the waist. He doesn’t want to meet Fai’s eye and rests his chin on top of the blonde’s head for a moment. “You know I’m not going anywhere.”

Fai’s muscles relax in response and his body curls back into Kurogane’s side. He shivers as the warmth engulfs him.

“Are you cold?” Kurogane asks a little bit too fast. He doesn’t give Fai the time to reply before grabbing the blanket that was tucked away underneath the couch. He sprawls the blanket over the both of them, gaining a curious look from Fai.

He doesn’t answer though. He allows himself to settle into the warmth that’s embracing him, not only coming from the blanket, but Kurogane’s unmoved arm is still around him. It’s Kurogane’s real arm and Fai is sure he’s able to feel all the muscles inside Kurogane’s arm, remembering how they felt as he used to drink from the ninja’s body. As the ninja’s attention falters back towards the movie, Fai burrows his head inside the crook of Kurogane’s armpit.

They stay like that, cuddled close together as the fire in their fireplace crackles and burns, the movie continuing on.

It doesn’t take long for the weight at his side to become heavier, Fai’s breathing to even out, and a soft snore to be heard.

Kurogane chuckles. Fai’s snore wasn’t one of those annoying ones he’d heard some of the couples who’d look after them would make, it was rather light and cute. The ninja’s face turns beet red at the thought. He glances at the blonde idiot’s long eyelashes, high cheekbones, and thin lips.

 _Yeah… sure._ Kurogane decides as he blows some air on Fai’s forehead to stop the bangs from falling into his eyes. _Sure_ . _Cute works._

Kurogane had known that he was attracted to Fai for a longer time. However it had been something that had gone by unspoken. Tokyo, Celes and Nihon all passed by and Kurogane’s stares had lingered a little bit longer every time. Had Fai ever picked up on it? He wonders. Fai wasn’t one to get attached, he knew; and yet Fai had let him so close to him.

There were the light touches in Nihon, soft brushes against his arm as he woke up from yet another nightmare that forced him to relive whatever happened in Celes. As Kurogane lazily opened his eyes in surprise, Fai would usually offer him a soft smile in return. Head tilted slightly to the side, loose hair following the motion. Kurogane could only think he had been so beautiful as the sunlight shined down on him. Neither of them felt the need to talk when Fai’s fingers found their way around Kurogane’s wrist, holding onto him as if he was about to disappear.

When Sakura had left them to stay in Clow, their relationship shifted one more time. Kurogane could have gone home, but he decided he would stay with Fai. How could he not? Whenever Fai would turn around unexpectedly, hair loose in the wind, a real smile on his lips, Kurogane’s heart felt as if it had just beaten for the first time ever. And sure, Fai would probably try to annoy him by throwing some stupid nickname at him but sometimes, just _sometimes,_ Kurogane would just smile at him in endearment. Fai usually halts, then. And just stares. He really didn’t know, didn’t he?

Kurogane doesn’t allow himself many moments to think about it, but he knows. It hadn’t needed some great moment of realisation. It had hit him lazily, softly like the first summer wind finding its way through the window. One night, his night sleep had been interrupted by a soft _Kuro-rin? Are you awake?_ and he had opened his eyes to find a Fai in an oversized pajama, rubbing tiredly at his eyes, hair everywhere.

_I can’t sleep._

Kurogane almost sighs loudly at the memory. He doesn’t even know what had gone through his head back then but he had grabbed Fai’s arm and dragged him into bed. Held him through the entire night. And that’s when he knew that he wanted to hold Fai _every_ night. Protect him from whatever negative feeling would be coming his way. That’s when he knew that the stupid pounding his heart had been doing hadn’t been a developing cardiac problem.

Kurogane lowers his gaze and looks at the blonde curled in his arms.  

Fai’s right hand lightly grips the fabric of Kurogane’s shirt and he cuddles almost impossibly closer to him, releasing a quiet, happy sigh and Kurogane can’t help but smile. It was almost offensive how perfectly Fai fits into his arms, as if he was made to be there.

 _God,_ the entire world could crumble around them right now and Kurogane still wouldn’t let go.

He glances up at Belle and the beast-- or, rather, the _prince_ , dancing at the ball. The prince was humbled by his experience, and as much as he hates to admit it, Fai was right… sort of. Maybe.

Kurogane used to be isolated and hateful and only seeking revenge on his broken family. But after this journey, .. well, he couldn’t avenge his broken family but rather, he had found his own. Not only that, his hate had melted into something else. _Love._ He’s not the cold hearted ninja he once was, he’s not the “beast” anymore.

His eyes widen slightly as it dawns on him.

If… if he’s not the “beast” anymore… does that mean…?

Is he the prince?

Did Fai mean _that_ when he said the male lead was like him?

If that’s true, then is Fai supposed to be like this Belle girl? No, he’s not some damsel in distress. Kurogane knows that for a fact. Maybe… he looks down at the sleeping blonde.

Kurogane wasn’t one for metaphors and as much as he would like to wake Fai up to ask for an explanation, he doesn’t. Besides, was Kurogane the only one who was like the male lead? Weren’t they both the beast?

With everything they have ever been through, it can’t be shocking to say that they are both like this “beast.” They had both been filled with rage and pain and had tried to run away from it. But running away doesn’t work. It never works. In the end, the both of them had embraced each others pain and mended it. Even if Fai hadn’t known that he had done that for him.

Kurogane sighs. Fuck fairytales, they’re so annoying… nothing in them ever happens in real life. He doesn’t understand why Fai is so addicted to them. They’re not something kids should grow up watching. They’re not real.

Not like… not like him and Fai.

 _Scratch that,_ Kurogane shakes his head. They weren’t anything, anyway.

A thought occurred to him. _I want us to be a thing. What does_ Fai _want?_

He closes his eyes to flush the thoughts away. This wasn’t the moment to occupy himself with things like this, Kurogane decided. As he hears the credits music roll along, he lays his head to the side, resting it atop Fai’s. He closes his eyes. _Five more minutes_ , he tells himself.

If they could just always fall asleep like this… every single night, he’d forever be the happiest man alive.

And he sure as hell doesn’t intend to; but it only takes mere seconds before the combination of warmth and emotions overtakes him, lulling him into a deep sleep.

He doesn’t let go during the night.

 

* * *

 

Fai doesn’t know what happened during the night, but as he begins to move, he realizes that he is more comfortable now than he has ever been… probably in his entire life.

The sun shines through the windows, and he blinks himself awake. He slowly begins stretching out his legs, nuzzling his head into his pillow.

...which ends up being Kurogane’s chest.

Fai vaguely remembers falling asleep against Kurogane’s side but during the night Kurogane must have fallen more towards the arm of the couch, keeping the blonde tight against his chest.

A soft blush covers his cheeks as he glances up at his ninja, seeing those red eyes watching him closely. Kurogane doesn’t really know what’s happening because _is he awake or not, he doesn't know_ , but one moment Fai’s trying to crawl off him, wide blue eyes staring at him as he realises Kurogane is awake and the next, he finds his own arms wrapped around Fai, burying him into his chest. He feels Fai shiver as he rests his head on top of the blonde mess.

“Don’t leave me,” Kurogane whispers lazily into golden locks, not registering his state of awakeness. “Ever.”

The blonde slowly lifts his face, reaching up and rests one hand on Kurogane’s cheek. “I should be saying that to you, _Kurogane_ ,” he whispers as he lays his head back down on Kurogane’s chest to listen to the loud pounding coming from it. “But… I won’t. You should know that… you, however, are the one that shouldn’t leave me.”

Kurogane is obviously still half asleep by the way he says, “‘s why you showed me this movie, right…? You wanted me to,” he breathes in, blinking himself more into awareness. “You wanted me to see that I’m not the beast anymore.”

 _Not quite, Kuro-puu,_ he almost says aloud.

Kurogane must’ve read his mind, however, because he smirks. “I think… you and me should--”

“Should what?” Fai asks quietly. “We should-- we should just move on with our lives…? Forget what Fei Wong Reed did to us? Forget that he screwed us over for his own enjo--”

Kurogane draws Fai up, and pulls them close together, so close that their lips almost touch.  “No… we should never forget. As much of an ass as that guy was… if he hadn’t uprooted our lives,” those ruby eyes meet his blue, “I never would’ve met you.”

Kurogane pauses.

“And I couldn’t live without you. Not anymore.”

Fai smiles. A real, genuine smile, eyes glancing down at Kurogane’s lips. “...um, we should probably--”

“Fai,” He interrupts the blonde. “Can I--?” Kurogane, impatient, cuts himself off. Leaning in, he decides to just do it.

He _kisses_ Fai.

The kiss comes as a surprise to them both-- everything over the last few moments has been an absolute mess to his brain-- but as soon Kurogane realises what’s happening, he leans into the kiss.

He cups one hand around Fai’s cheek, and uses his other hand to guide Fai upwards as he moves to sit upright on the couch, allowing Fai to straddle his lap.

The blonde parts for a breath of air. “Wow, Kuro-sama, if I had known how impatient you were…” he leans in, pressing a quick kiss on Kurogane’s lips, “we would’ve done this a long time ago.”

He shoots Kurogane a mischievous grin.

“You know you could have just asked, right?” Fai chuckles.

Kurogane pauses, pushes Fai slowly away from him.

“No, Fai,” he starts, gaining a curious look from the blonde as Kurogane drops his gaze. “This isn’t a game or a joke, do you understand? I _need_ you to understand.” He looks up, watching Fai’s expression.

Fai shifts on Kurogane’s lap and sits backwards, tilting his head softly to the side in confusion.

“You know how I always talked about getting stronger to be able to protect the people I love?” Kurogane pauses and closes his eyes. “I only want to be able to protect _you_.”

Fai isn’t stupid. He knows what Kurogane means, but it still takes him longer to react than expected. The wheels in his brain are reeling, going over every lingering look that Kurogane had ever given him, every endearing, pleading look. Every soft touch that had gone by, unmentioned, but had been happily accepted. Every time Kurogane had willingly put his own life on the line to save him.

Fai crashes their lips together again, happy to be in his ninja’s warm embrace.

“Protect me then,” Fai sighs happily against Kurogane’s lips, entangling his fingers in his-- now _lover’s_ \-- hair. “And I’ll do the same for you. _Forever._ ”

**Author's Note:**

> Missxip69's note: Thanks for reading! <3 Comment, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!
> 
> Youdidwinsodidi's note: I don't really write notes but this has been great fun! I love everyone, yes that includes you. Also, curry is great. Enjoy! Please let us know what you think in the comments!


End file.
